Delays Continue Over New Luton Stadium

Luton Council has said it will not be able to consider applications by the group wanting to build Luton Town's new stadium and an out-of-town shopping centre in August after all.

Luton Council say one of the crucial pieces of information they had long been waiting for is a "Retail Impact Assessment" of the shopping centre proposal (Newlands Park).

The report, by independent consultants and took longer than anticipated and has now been completed and will be published on the council's website this week for a 6-week consultation.

Luton Council say that consultation is two weeks longer than originally planned due to the recent increased interest in the retail element at Newlands Park.

So, what happens after that?

The council say responses will be analysed before the final Development Control report and recommendations are written and published, and a new committee date set.

Laura Church, Corporate Director for Place and Infrastructure at Luton Council, said:

“I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding. We know there is a lot of public interest in these major applications, but it’s been important all along that the correct process is followed.

I gave the August 20 date in good faith, based on what we knew at the time. Put simply, the independent report took longer than we thought it would.

Given the increased interest in the retail proposals in recent weeks, we are anticipating further comment on the Retail Impact Assessment during the consultation period. While we can’t set a new date without knowing what will be raised or need analysing, the publishing of this document is a major step forward as it means we are now in the final stages of the process.”

THE DEVELOPERS RESPONSE

"2020 Developments note today's announcement from Luton Borough Council that an anticipated determination date for our two planning applications in the week beginning August 20th is no longer achievable.

Whilst this news is disappointing we are pleased to receive confirmation that consultations are now concluding and we look forward to a planning committee date for our Power Court and Newlands Park projects in the near future.

It is now approximately two years since these applications were first submitted and, in that time, we have successfully engaged with a wide range of consultees including Highways England, the Environment Agency and Historic England.

Our two applications together deliver a once in a generation opportunity to transform the image of our town and deliver much needed economic investment to the tune of £250m a year to the local economy and over 10,000 jobs.

We believe passionately in our town and have tailored both schemes to work with, and complement, the existing Luton town centre and we believe this approach is borne out in the independent impact assessment work.

Now is the time to deliver a positive result for Luton and the wider region."

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